As a Property Manager, you receive calls from tenants during all hours of the day and night. It’s been our experience that the firms we provide property management answering services and urgent/emergency dispatch for require immediate and urgent notification for any call related to water problems. Bigger issues stem from leaks because water quickly sets the stage for mold infestations. Property Managers know this, hence their requirement for urgent dispatch.

Dealing with mold can be a costly nightmare. If left untreated mold can make your occupants sick, ruin your buildings and inhibit your ability to attract and retain tenants. Mold is a huge problem especially for people who have allergies, but it doesn’t stop there. If mold isn’t removed quickly and tenants get exposed, this can lead you down the long road of liability, litigation and unplanned expenses. The good news though is that Property Managers can take a proactive approach to protect their tenants and their buildings from mold exposure and damage. Here are some tips and considerations to incorporate into your Facilities Maintenance Plan.

Mold Prevention

Mold needs a couple of days to begin growing and once it starts it spreads like wildfire. Like most living organisms, mold needs moisture to sustain itself. The best way to reduce the risk of a mold infestation is with moisture control. Here are five (5) key points for mold prevention:

• Prevent and repair any water leaks immediately.
• Inspect HVAC systems and drip pans regularly.
• Reduce humidity with proper ventilation.
• Reduce condensation by keeping rooms warmer. Install some insulation.
• Never leave wet clothes sitting around in a pile.

Signs of Mold Infestations

Mold is a silent intruder and its growth isn’t always obvious. It thrives in dark, moist hard to get to areas such as drywall, conduits and carpets. Have you ever walked into a room and smelled a musty odor? If so, it’s probably mold. Other signs of mold are actually visible, however many people don’t even notice it because it looks a lot like dirt. If you see mold growth, you need to deal with it right away.

Mold Removal
Minor mold infestations can be relatively easy to remove with ordinary cleaning products such as 1-to-8 bleach/water solution however, if you’ve got a large infestation, you’re in for some serious work. When an extensive infestation is discovered, you’re going to want to get a licensed mold removal and remediation company in there right away to assess the damage. They have specialized contractors that have the training and experience to remove mold safely and ensure health and safety code compliance.

The best solution is to prevent water intrusions before a major problem happens. By using a 24 hour live answering and dispatch service such as Direct Line, we can reach your on-call staff quickly so as to address any issue with urgency. We can even reach your vendors directly since we have the ability to customize your dispatch protocols.

By utilizing our award-winning answering/dispatch services, property managers don’t have to be reached on every issue. That’s what your on-call team is for. Our best in class technology allows us to have multiple “reach” protocols, so if your on-call person isn’t available, we’ll continue reaching out to the next available technician until we connect with someone that can handle the situation.

Live answering services that are available 24/7 are a tremendous value for property managers. You’ll have a universal telephone number that never changes. Tenants can call and receive immediate live support. No need to worry about breaks, lunches, vacations or even dead cell phones. In other words, there’s always phone coverage so you’ll never miss a call especially when you’re not available.

Drastically improve your phone coverage and response time with property management answering services and urgent/emergency dispatch

For additional information on our premier property management answering services, after-hours answering service and urgent/emergency dispatch services, click here or simply call us at 888-365-2424.